The Sycamore or Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) is one of the commonest maples in Europe, native to central Europe from France east to Poland, and south (in mountains) to northernmost Spain and Turkey.

It is a deciduous tree that reaches 20-35 m tall at maturity, with a broad, domed crown. On young trees, the bark is smooth and grey but becomes rougher with age and breaks up in scales, exposing the pale brown to pinkish inner bark.

The leaves are opposite, 10-25 cm long and broad with a 5-15 cm petiole, palmately-veined with five lobes with toothed edges, and dark green in colour; some cultivars have purple-tinged or yellowish leaves.

The monoecious yellow-green flowers are produced in spring on 10-20 cm pendulous racemes, with 20-50 flowers on each stalk. The 5-10 mm diameter seeds are paired in samaras, each seed with a 20-40 mm long wing to catch the wind and rotate when they fall; this helps them to spread further from the parent tree. The seeds are mature in autumn about 6 months after pollination.

The name "sycamore" originally belongs to the fig species Ficus sycomorus native to southwest Asia (this is the sycamore or sycomore referred to in the Bible), and was later mis-applied to this species (and others; see also Platanus) by reason of the superficial similarity in leaf shape. To avoid confusion, the full name Sycamore Maple is preferable.

Cultivation and uses

The Sycamore Maple is noted for its tolerance of urban pollution and salt spray, which makes it a popular tree for planting in cities, along roads treated with salt in winter, and in coastal localities. It is cultivated and widely naturalised north of its native range in northern Europe, notably in the British Isles and Scandinavia north to Tromsø, Norway; Reykjavik, Iceland, and Torshavn on the Faroe Islands. In North America, escapes from cultivation are most common in New England, New York City and the Pacific Northwest. It is planted in many temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere, most commonly in New Zealand and on the Falkland Islands. Sycamore is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Mottled Pug.

It is also planted for timber production; the wood is white with a silky lustre, and hard-wearing, used for furniture and flooring. Occasional trees produce wood with a wavy grain, greatly increasing the value for decorative veneers.